Music preview: Denney at Circular’s 3rd birthday at Mint Warehouse

Rob Chadwick

Leeds DJ Denney is due to play at Circular’s third birthday party at Mint Warehouse this weekend. He spoke to the Yorkshire Evening Post about the show and his forthcoming EP.

How was Ibiza this season – what was good, what was bad?

Ibiza was great this season, the island as a whole seemed to be really busy which is always good as all the parties seemed rammed. Obviously the bad was Space closing, we’ve lost a truly great club.

Any new trends you spotted musically or otherwise? What was hot and what was not?

I heard some amazing music this year, but to be honest I do every year. There has been a trend where primarily house and techno DJs have been playing the odd classic trance record though, which is a bit mental.

‘Another Day’ featuring Kayleigh Stephenson is your new jam – it is different to what you usually do – what inspired or influenced it?

Denney

I was listening to Sasha ‘Involver’ a lot and wanted to try something new and push myself a bit. It was just an experiment really then when I had the backing track it needed a vocal so I pulled Kayleigh in and she nailed it.

How did you find Kayleigh to work with and why was it right? Was it a full collaboration in a studio or an internet thing?

I was friends with Kayleigh anyway and knew she was a singer and performer in the West End, we had discussed doing something for a while. When I had the basic track I called her up and she came up to stay and nailed it all in pretty much one take as she is actually pitch perfect, which is incredibly rare.

You also work with D Ramirez a lot right – why is that? Why do you hit it off with him? Do you each have set roles in that partnership?

Myself and Dean have known each other for nearly 15 years and had discussed doing something together for so long. We have a middle ground love for the old Tenaglia/Deep Dish tribal progressive sound so that is the direction of our tracks. We have a great energy in the studio and love working together.

You have some music on the 20th Anniversary Global Underground compilation right? How did that come about?

I got approached by Steve Parry who is actually Sasha’s right hand for finding music. Global Underground had asked him to head hunt new artists for the compilation. He asked if I had anything which might fit and I had ‘Another Day’ sat there which was a perfect fit I thought, luckily, so did they.

What does the series mean to you – did you listen to many or do you have any favourites?

I grew up on Global Underground mixes, stand out ones were Sasha ‘Involver’, both by Danny Tenaglia, Deep Dish, Steve Lawler & Lee Burridge’s Nubreed and also Layo & Bushwacka’s.

You play Circular at Mint this weekend – what are the crowds there and in Leeds like? What’s the sound system in Mint like from your view?

The crowds up there are always amazing and up for a full on rave which is always fun to play to. The sound system is powerful and sounds great when the venue is full!

What should people expect, what will you play – anything specifically for that sound system?

I always tend to play a bit more twisted up there as that room as system fit it perfectly, it will all depend what time Im playing I guess.

What else have you got coming up/are you looking forward to?

After a hectic summer I am just finishing a load of music in the studio. I have an EP upcoming on Heidi’s Jackathon Jams as well as the Global Underground release. I’m finishing a three-track EP with D Ramirez and also working on collaborations with Groove Armada, Roger Sanchez and Skream as well as my own stuff...Busy, busy!